


What I Am

by WandaRavenBlack



Series: Bad Things Happen - Dick Grayson [9]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Acrobat Dick Grayson, Beating, Bullying, Crying, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Discrimination, First Meetings, Hurt Dick Grayson, Hurt/Comfort, Lies, Protective Bruce Wayne, Protective Clark Kent, Racism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 22:41:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21126425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WandaRavenBlack/pseuds/WandaRavenBlack
Summary: BULLYINGDick comes home late from school and Bruce immediately knows that something is wrong.





	What I Am

Bruce was starting to get worried. This was Dick’s first day in school and he was getting late. 

“Master Bruce, may I ask you to sit down and take a deep breath?” 

Bruce sighed and stopped his pacing. 

“Where is he, Alfred? He should be home by now.” 

The butler frowned. 

“I’m still not sure about sending Master Dick to a private school.” 

Bruce rolled his eyes. 

“It’s the best private school in Gotham. They are strict with their rules and allow no outside threat to the students. They might even have better security than Arkham.” 

“That is not what worries me.” 

Before Bruce could ask about what he meant, they heard the front door open and then slam shut. Quick, heavy footsteps came up the stairs and Bruce quickly recognized them as Dick’s. Over the weeks that the boy had lived with him, he had managed to learn how to judge his moods by the way he was walking. If he was skipping around, jumping over stairs and sliding down the balustrade, he was happy. If he was dragging his feet after him, moving as little as possible, he was sad or tired. If he was walking heavily, an unusual trait for the agile acrobat, he was angry. They heard him stomp through the hallway and then the door to his room slammed shut. Bruce glanced at Alfred, but the man just raised his eyebrows. With a sigh, he walked out of the study and down the hallway to where Dick’s room was. He knocked on the door and heard quick shuffling around, before Dick opened the door. He had a big smile on his face and a slightly guilty look in his eyes. 

“Hi, Bruce! Sorry for slamming the doors. I was just so excited after school that I didn’t think about it.” 

Bruce looked him up and down with raised eyebrows. The boy was good. He had to admit it. Not many people could lie and act so convincingly. But then he mentally slapped himself. Dick grew up in a circus. He’s been in the spotlight since he was a small child. He had acting ingrained in his bones. But Bruce wasn't a detective for nothing. He noticed the slight redness in Dick’s eyes and the way he seemed closed off, even though he was smiling widely. Very slowly, he crouched down to get on the boy’s level. 

“What’s wrong?” 

The boy frowned at him. 

“What do you mean? Everything is fine. I got some homework to do now, but I’ll be down for dinner.” 

Bruce shook his head. 

“Don’t lie to me, Dick. I went to that school myself and I know that you wouldn’t get homework on your first day. And you’ve been crying. You’re almost an hour late. So tell me what happened.” 

Accidentally, he let some of his Batman growl into his voice and the boy’s eyes widened. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to be a problem. Maybe you should just send me back to the circus.” 

Bruce got a shocked look on his face, but didn’t get to say anything because the doorbell rang. He frowned and stood up. 

“This talk isn’t over.” 

Dick nodded his eyes still wide open. Bruce quickly went down the stairs and his frown deepened when he saw Clark and Diana. 

“What are you two doing here?” 

Clark smiled. 

“It’s nice to see you too, Bruce. We’re here on Lea…” 

“Hi!” 

He stopped himself and looked up when a boy’s voice came from the top of the stairs. Both his and Diana’s eyes widened when they saw Dick. He grinned at them and jumped over the railing. Bruce had to grab Clark’s shoulder to keep him from running to Dick’s aid. The boy made a few flips before landing in a perfect crouch. He jumped up and ran over to them, but Bruce noticed that he was putting on a show for their guests. 

“I’m Dick. Dick Grayson.” 

He stretched his hand out towards Diana and, when she grabbed it, he kissed it with a smile. Diana smiled down at him. 

“Diana Prince.” 

Clark quickly put on a smile and crouched down. 

“I’m Clark Kent.” 

Dick’s smile widened. 

“Nice to meet you.” 

Then he turned to Bruce. 

“Can I go outside?” 

Bruce had to force himself not to glare. 

“We are still going to have a conversation.” 

Dick nodded, his smile disappearing. 

“I know. But can I go outside for now?” 

The man nodded. 

“Sure. Alfred will call you in for dinner.” 

The boy ran outside, the door slamming shut behind him. Clark stood up and faced Bruce. 

“Who is that?” 

“My ward, Dick Grayson. I adopted him a few weeks ago.” 

Clark frowned. 

“Grayson? Not that Grayson, right?” 

Bruce nodded. 

“Yes. I was at the circus when it happened. He saw them fall and I couldn’t leave him there. I asked him if he wanted to come with me and he agreed.” 

Diana looked around, before her eyes stopped on Bruce again. 

“Does he know?” 

“No. And he will not know.” 

Before she could answer, they heard a scream from outside. Bruce immediately rushed out the door, Clark and Diana following him quickly, making sure to keep at a human speed. Outside, they saw Dick lying on the ground, tears in his eyes. Bruce crouched down next to him and started checking for injuries. 

“What happened?” 

Dick sat up slowly. 

“I fell out of the tree.” 

Bruce moved away from him a bit. 

“You fell out of a tree? Dick, I’ve seen what you can do when it comes to acrobatics and balancing. There is no way you fell out of a tree.” 

Dick didn’t say anything and the man sighed heavily. He glanced up at Clark and raised one eyebrow. Quickly, Clark X-rayed the boy and then shook his head slightly. Nothing was broken. Bruce felt relief, before he turned to Dick again. 

“Listen. I need to know what’s going on. Is it about school? Did you do something there? Get in trouble with the teachers? Whatever it is, you can tell me. I promise not to be angry.” 

Dick kept his eyes on the ground when he answered. 

“Why don’t you just send me back to the circus? I fit in more there than here.” 

Bruce sighed heavily. 

“Is that really what you want?” 

Blue eyes looked up at him and he noticed that they were full of tears. 

“If you really want to go back, I can arrange that. I’ll find out where Haly is right now and drive you there myself. But only if that’s what you really want.” 

Suddenly, Clark’s eyes widened and he crouched down too, showing Diana that she should do that as well. Bruce looked at him with questioning eyes. Ignoring him, Clark addressed the boy. 

“Dick. Can you look at me?” 

Blue eyes turned to him. Bruce, having seen Superman deal with kids before, decided to stay back and just observe for now. 

“Is it a private school you’re going to?” 

The boy nodded. 

“Do you like it?” 

The boy hesitated, glancing over to Bruce. The man forced himself to smile. 

“It’s alright. Just tell us the truth.” 

Very slowly, Dick shook his head. 

“No.” 

Diana moved a bit closer to them. 

“Why not?” 

Dick hugged his knees close to his chest. The woman looked at him and, acting on impulse,, sat down in the grass next to him, pulling him into a hug. And that, the motherly hug, was what made Dick finally break. He started crying and shaking. 

“I… He called me a circus freak. And… And said that a gypsy like me should go out on the streets and steal and not go to a nice school. And they all laughed and then he tried to hit me. And I didn’t want to fight so I ran away from him and ran into a teacher and she started screaming. She said that if it wasn’t for Bruce’s money I would never be able to go to school because I’m not smart. And that I should go back to the circus. And that I’m just a charity case. That Bruce took me in only because it would make him look good in the public eye. And she just walked away and the other kids caught up to me and tried to hit me again and started calling me names. And one of them realized who my parents were and said that it’s good that they are dead and that I should have died with them and… and…” 

He broke out into violent sobs and pushed himself close to Diana, who hugged him tightly. Bruce was so shocked that he sat down on the grass, not knowing what to say. He was supposed to be a detective. Batman. He was supposed to protect the ones in need. And he failed the boy he had adopted. The boy he wanted protect more than anything. Clark sat down too, doing his best to stay calm. He hated when children got hurt. After a few minutes, Dick had managed to calm down and looked up at Bruce. 

“Are you mad at me?” 

Bruce almost flinched at the broken tone. He moved a bit closer to the boy and, after Diana let him out of her embrace, Dick threw himself into his arms. 

“I’m so sorry. Please don’t be mad at me. I’m sorry.” 

Bruce, although shocked, pulled the boy closer to himself. 

“There is nothing to be sorry about. This isn’t your fault. You did nothing wrong, Dickie. I’ll take you out of the school. You can be home schooled.” 

“If I may make a suggestion, master Bruce.” 

Everyone turned to where Alfred was coming towards them. 

“Commissioner Gordon’s daughter, Barbara, is master Dick’s age. She’s going to a public school. Maybe it would be good for master Dick to join her there.” 

Bruce felt slight hesitation. How would the media react if he sent Dick to a public school? Would he be left alone? He glanced down at the boy. 

“Would you like that, Dick?” 

The boy sniffled. 

“I don’t want to be a bother. You already paid so much and… and gave me so much. I don’t deserve it.” 

Bruce shook his head. 

“Dick, listen to me. You will never be a bother. And you deserve so much more than what I can give you. I just want you to be happy. I didn’t mean to send you to a place where you would get hurt. And I won’t force you into a situation like that again, alright? From now on, we make decisions together. Alright?” 

The boy nodded slowly, still looking uncertain. 

“So, what do you want to do? You can stay here and be homeschooled. You could go to a public school. Or you could go back to Haly’s. It’s all up to you.” 

Dick hiccuped a few times, before curling up a bit. 

“Do you want me to go back to uncle Haly?” 

Bruce shook his head. 

“No. I don’t want you to, but I will let you do it if that’s what you want.” 

Dick seemed to think it through carefully. Bruce had to admit that he was worried. He had grown used to the boy running around the mansion, swinging from the chandeliers and scaring the living daylights out of both him and Alfred. Then, blue eyes looked up to him again. 

“I wanna try the other school.” 

Bruce nodded with a smile. 

“Alright. I’ll talk to them tomorrow. You should stay at home for the rest of the week.” 

Dick nodded at him before turning to Clark and Diana. 

“I’m sorry for acting like this.” 

Diana shook her head and pulled the boy into another hug. 

“It’s alright, child. You don’t have to apologize. I’m just happy that you are better now.” 

He smiled widely at her. 

“Thank you, aunt Diana.” 

Alfred, seeing the shocked look on the woman’s face, quickly stretched his hand out towards Dick. 

“Master Dick. Why don’t we go inside and get you leaned up a bit.” 

Dick grabbed his hand and let himself be led inside, giving one last wave to Clark, who waved back a bit awkwardly. Bruce was already on his feet, his expression quickly closing off again. Clark stood up too and helped Diana to her feet. She looked at the other man in surprise. 

“Aunt?” 

Bruce sighed. 

“Dick grew up in a circus. He’s used to calling people aunt and uncle. It took us some time to get him to just use our first names.” 

There was almost a warning in his voice and Diana shook her head. 

“We won’t tell the others about this, if that’s what you’re worried about.” 

That earned her the softest bat-glare she had ever seen. Without a word, he led them to his study, where they could discuss the League matters in private. A few days later, the news all over Gotham and Metropolis were buzzing about Superman paying a visit to a private school, which resulted in many students coming forward with tales of bullying and abuse. Dick seemed to be shocked by the news, and kept collecting papers about it. When Clark and Diana came to talk to Bruce a week later, Dick threw himself at the man, hugging him tightly. While Bruce and Diana started a conversation, the boy leaned close to Clark’s ear and started whispering. 

“Thank you for what you did in that school, Superman.” 

Clark froze and, on the other side of the room, Diana tilted her head slightly. Dick smiled. 

“I grew up in a circus, where people wear masks all the time. It takes much more than glasses and a change in posture to trick me.” 

Then he leaned his head on the man’s shoulder. 

“Don’t worry, uncle Clark. I won’t tell Bruce.” 

Clark and Diana exchanged amused looks, ignoring the way Bruce was glaring at them for not telling him what was happening. If only the little boy knew what was hiding under the mansion he lived in. 


End file.
